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GAME NOTES: The Nevada Wolf Pack step out of conference this afternoon as they tangle with the Missouri State Bears at JQH Arena in Springfield as part of the annual BracketBusters weekend.

Nevada is trying to ring up its first four-game win streak since turning the trick in the middle of December when it began to balance the ship after a rough start to the 2009-10 campaign. On Wednesday night, the team hosted Western Athletic Conference foe Fresno State and logged a 74-70 win. The victory was the fourth in the last five games for the Pack, which is currently 8-4 in conference play.

As for the Bears, who are facing Nevada for the very first time, they've hit a bit of a rough patch in recent weeks with back-to-back losses and defeats in four of their last six contests overall. Three nights ago it was Illinois State that captured a 76-72 win at Redbird Arena in Normal, dropping MSU to 7-9 against the rest of the Missouri Valley Conference with only two games remaining (Drake and Indiana State) before the start of the conference tournament in St. Louis on March 4th.

Luke Babbitt came up with yet another double-double for the Wolf Pack as he deposited 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, both of which were game highs, as the Wolf Pack picked up a four-point win over Fresno State earlier this week. Armon Johnson added 19 points and seven rebounds for Nevada as the team bounced back from a 16-point halftime deficit. Babbitt, who is close to averaging a double-double this season with his 21.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per outing, has been showing his skills out on the perimeter in league play lately, converting 44.4 percent of his three-point shots and that has allowed the Wolf Pack to convert 36.9 percent beyond the arc in those 12 WAC matchups. Johnson (16.6 ppg), who can lend a hand on the glass when it is really needed, would instead rather direct the traffic on the floor for Nevada and continue to build on his 135 assists over the course of 25 starts this season.

Shooting an even 50 percent from the field in the first half against the Redbirds on Wednesday night, Missouri State led by five points at the half, but that was before the defense allowed ISU to hit on 63 percent from the floor. Adam Leonard tallied a team-best 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, followed by Kyle Weems and Jermaine Mallett with 19 points and 12 points, respectively, the duo combining to make 5-of-10 shots behind the three-point line in the meeting. With four players having started all 27 games this season for the Bears, at least the team enjoys some consistency in that area, with Weems being the top man in scoring with 13.8 ppg and one of the better rebounders with more than five and a half boards per contest. Leonard accounts for 12.5 ppg, but it comes at the expense of him shooting only 39.4 percent from the field.

Playing on the road has not been easy for the Wolf Pack this season, but even though it is late it seems they are finally getting the hang of it at the right time. As long as Babbitt can stay out of foul trouble and Johnson can lend a hand on the glass, expect Nevada to finish strong in this meeting.